Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1970 Boss 302 Mercury Cougar Eliminator on 2040-cars

US $30,000.00
Year:1970 Mileage:39000 Color: surface from minor to worse
Location:

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Mesa, Arizona, United States
Advertising:

This is my 1970 Boss 302 Cougar Eliminator.  I bought it as a teen from a car lot here in Phoenix 25 years ago and have owned it since.  At the time it sported a completely different and non original drive train which I have attempted to replace with correct items over the years.  I have driven it less than 1 mile during my ownership, and it has been stored in my garage most of that time. The car starts with keys, runs, drives, stops, etc., however, I would not consider it roadworthy as the tires are very old, carburetor needs tuning, and other minor details.  The coolant, brake fluid, and fuel are all fresh and do not need any attention.

Drivetrain
Engine & compartment:  This D0ZE-B Boss 302 engine came out of another Cougar Eliminator, and by coincidence, is properly date coded to this car.  It is complete with correct factory D0ZF-Z carb, intake and exhaust manifolds, smog system, un-cracked valve covers, alternator, brackets, etc.  It is missing the original distributor, fuel pump, rev limiter, and air cleaner base.  I do have the original snorkel and lid.  The carb has been professionally rebuilt and remains unused.  The radiator is the original D0ZE-E1 that has been recored and has the original fan blade, spacer, and reproduction shroud.  The car does not overheat.  The power steering pump has a leak, so the belt has been removed.  The smog system is complete and the pump spins freely, but it has no belt. The carburetor currently on the engine could use new base gaskets and a proper tuning.  The heater core is not connected, but I flushed water through it for about 5 minutes to see if the core would leak, and it did not.  

Transmission:  The car originally came with a close ratio (code 6) transmission, but it was missing when I bought the car.  The car currently has a wide ratio (code 5) transmission that I bought about 20 years ago.  These were the days before a 'Marti Report' existed, and as the door tag is somewhat illegible, I had to guess which transmission it came with.  The clutch is new and the original C9ZE flywheel was resurfaced.  The shifter, shift rods, handle, and knob are all original, but there is no lock out rod.  The reverse light switch doesn't stay in the clip, so it just hangs out of the way.  The correct speedometer cable is present, but no gear reducer.  

Differential:  The car originally came with a  3.91 Traction-lok, but it currently has a 31 spline, N-case, 3.50 Detroit Locker which I bought around the same time as the transmission.  Again, no Marti Report existed at the time, and an illegible door tag....so I got something I thought was a reasonable guess.  The wheels are not the original ones.  The tires are very old with some cracking, and even though the hold air just fine, you can feel all of the flat spots when driving, so I don't trust them.

Body/Paint
The car has various dents and dings on the visible exterior surface from minor to worse, but nothing too bad.  Aside from various minor surface rust, the car is very rust free with the exception of small areas in the rear quarters down low (see pics).  The rockers are solid.  Torque boxes are solid. Fender aprons are solid with perfect hood hinge mounts.  Shock towers are uncut  and solid.  Doors are solid with good hinges.  The floorpan is solid and rust free, as the car has been liberally undercoated from the factory, but it has been pretty badly beat up in some areas, including the passenger rear wheel well, and to a lesser extent, the lower area of the right rear quarter.  When I got the car, it had a broken passenger axle.  Whether that was the cause or the symptom, or perhaps the car might have bottomed out is anyone's guess.  I gave the underside a bit of a scrubbing so you could better see what I mean,  The car was originally Competition Green, but was repainted black with reddish pseudo Eliminator stripes.  The paint is in poor shape from scrapes and dings, and shows the original green paint underneath everywhere, including the spoiler.  Due to this, I believe all of the body panels are the original ones with the exception of the passenger side fender and extension, as they show no sign of green paint.  Aside from that, there is no sign of collision repairs, or body filler anywhere on the car.  The package tray has large rectangular cutouts  from some previous nimrod installing home stereo speakers that I removed a long time ago.  An original undamaged replacement comes with the car.
 
All of the Eliminator specific grille, gas door, and tail light assemblies are undamaged original black paint over pot metal.  Not black paint over chrome!  The hood scoop is the original and in perfect condition 1970 with internal webbing and only 2 mounting holes in the front, not 3 like the later ones.  The vacuum operated headlight doors open when turned on, and close when turned off and stay closed.  The bumpers are original and very straight.  The chrome is virtually rust and pit free. All of the aluminum trim is original and in very good condition with a couple of very minimal dents.  Al of the glass is original and undamaged.  The buck tag is present.  The hood has holes where hood pins once were, but no longer there. There is no chin spoiler or trunk prop rod.  

The suspension has a mix of original and replacement parts.  The original front and rear sway bars are present.  The exhaust pipes are from a different Cougar, but I installed them to keep the noise down.  The heater core has never been hooked up since I have owned the car, so I have no idea if it leaks or not. The brakes stop very well as I have replaced the master cylinder, booster, calipers, and wheel cylinders within the past year.  

Interior
The interior is original.  The carpet is a bit tired, but solid.  The seats are the original upholstery with the fronts being in good condition, while the rears show some heat cracking on top.  The dashboard is perfect with out cracks or fading.  All of the Camera Case dash pieces are present and in very good condition without peeling or fading.   The console is the original early 1970 without the button, and has it's original woodgrain 4spd insert.  The headliner is original and has a couple of minor tears.  The door panels and armrests are in good to very good condition.  The steering wheel is uncracked and still has some of the woodgrain on it.  The column trim is all unbroken.  The AM/8 track is the original one, but I don't know if it works.  All of the interior courtesy lights work.  The rear defogger works.  The parking brake handle is missing.  The low fuel light actually works, and there is a new filter in the tank. Rear view mirror is missing.

General
The title has a clean and clear title title in my name.  It shows 39k original (Box A) miles on the title, which matches the car.  I have the Marti Report, the 999 report, and the original sales receipt from the car lot I bought it from.  There was no build sheet.

I will not give out my reserve, but I will tell you that I have seen Boss Mustangs and Cougars in poorer condition, no Boss 302 engines, disassembled, or missing all of the expensive pieces sell for around my reserve.  

There are all kinds of things you could nitpick on this car, and there are likely things that I forgot.  I have tried to be very detailed in words and pictures so you know exactly what you are looking at.  Any omissions are purely accidental.  I have no problem with interested buyers coming over to my house to look at the car before purchasing.  It just needs to be scheduled at a time when I am home.  Email is the best way to contact me or ask questions as I work long hours 6 days a week.  

This car will have no trouble driving onto a trailer and safely stopping.  I will make myself available anytime for a transport company (or you) to come and pick up the car.

Terms
Buyer will place a non-refundable $500 deposit within 24 hours of sale date,  with the remainder to be paid within 7 days of sale date.






Flasoo's Boss 302 Eliminator album on Photobucket


On Jul-06-14 at 14:15:47 PDT, seller added the following information:

Clarification:  The heater core does not leak.  

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Ford recalling 450,000 Fusion, Mercury Milan sedans

Tue, Nov 24 2015

Ford has announced a pair of recalls, and both are critical safety issues. The exponentially larger of the two recall campaigns affects over 450,000 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans manufactured at the Hermosillo plant between July 21, 2008, and March 4, 2011. The canister purge valve in the fuel tank could malfunction and could cause the top of the tank to crack and leak fuel. That could cause a fire, although Ford "is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires" resulting from the issue. Affected vehicles will have their ECU software updated and their fuel tanks inspected for potential replacement. The company estimates there are 411,205 affected units in the United States (and its federalized territories), plus another 33,605 in Canada, and 7,055 in Mexico. The second recall affects 13 F-650 trucks. The column shifter's park position mechanism may fracture and let the truck roll away unexpectedly. Those 2016 models built in Ohio between July 29 and September 3, 2015 are all located in the US. Fixing the problem will require replacing the steering column and reconfiguring the instrument panel. FORD ISSUES TWO SAFETY RECALLS IN NORTH AMERICA DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 23, 2015 – Ford Motor Company is issuing two safety recalls in North America. Ford is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires related to these conditions. Details are as follows: Ford issues safety recall for certain 2010-2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles in North America for potential fuel tank issue Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for approximately 450,000 2010-2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles for a potential issue with the fuel tank. Some of these vehicles might have a canister purge valve that does not work properly, causing internal pressure changes inside the fuel tank. Repeated pressure changes inside the tank could result in a crack on the top of the tank, possibly allowing fuel to leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can lead to a fire. Ford is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires related to this condition. Affected vehicles include certain 2010-2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant from July 21, 2008 through March 4, 2011. There are a total of approximately 451,865 vehicles that might be affected in North America, including 411,205 vehicles in the United States and federalized territories, 33,605 in Canada and 7,055 in Mexico.

Junkyard Gem: 1991 Mercury Capri XR2

Mon, Jun 5 2023

Just a year after the Mazda MX-5 Miata first went on sale in the United States, Ford's Mercury Division began selling a similarly-priced two-seat convertible here. This was the 1991-1994 Mercury Capri, and I've found an example of the hot-rod turbocharged version in a northeastern Colorado car graveyard. The Capri name has an illustrious history within the Ford Empire. First used on a Lincoln in 1952, it went on to serve as the name for a hardtop version of the early-1960s Ford Consul in the UK, then as the designation for a low-end trim level on the 1966-1967 Mercury Comet. Starting in the 1969 model year in Europe (1970 in North America), Ford began selling the best-known Capri of all: a sporty coupe based on the Cortina, sold through Mercury dealers in the United States but never badged as a Mercury here. Sales of that Capri halted here after 1978 (they continued through 1986 in Europe), but the Mercury Division then moved the name over to its version of the 1979-1986 Ford Mustang. After that, Ford Australia took the Capri name for a new Mazda 323-based sports car beginning in 1989. Then Dearborn decided that an Americanized version of the Australian Capri would be a success on this side of the Pacific, and left-hand-drive Capris began showing up in American Mercury showrooms in late 1990. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those first-model-year cars, and it's the very rare turbocharged XR2 version. While this car was intended to be a competitor for the Miata, it's really that car's Mazda cousin. Both cars got their power from 1.6-liter versions of Mazda's versatile B engine, though the Capri had the same front-wheel-drive setup as its 323/Protege (and Escort/Tracer) platform siblings. At the same time, Ford was selling Kia-built Mazdas with Festiva (and, a bit later, Aspire) badging, alongside Mazda MX-6s with Probe badges. Just to make things interesting, American Mazda dealers were selling Ford Explorers as Mazda Navajos, while Rangers with Mazda badges followed starting in 1994. The 1990s were Mazda-riffic times at Ford! This car wasn't the first Australian-designed, Mazda-based Ford product sold in the United States. That honor belongs to the 1988-1989 Mercury Tracer, which was based on the same Mazda 323 platform as the Capri and built in Mexico. Later on, the Tracer remained a member of the 323 chassis family but was a nearly identical twin to its Ford Escort sibling.

Junkyard Gem: 1989 Mercury Tracer Four-Door Hatchback

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During the life of the Mercury brand, which began in 1939 and ended in 2011, nearly every Mercury sold in North America was a cosmetically enhanced version of some Ford model also sold here. The exceptions to this rule came when Mercury sold Fords originally designed for non-North American markets, and for which no Ford-branded version existed on our shores. The 1991-1994 Capri was such a car, as was the 1999-2002 Cougar (the Mondeo-based Cougar was unique among all Mercuries in that no other cars in the sprawling Ford Empire shared its body). The 1970-1978 Capri was sold through Mercury dealers here, but never had Mercury badging. One of the rarest of all these Mercury cars was the first-generation Tracer, a Mazda design that made its way here via Australia. The bloodline of the Tracer goes back to the Mazda 323, the ancestor of today's Mazda3 and the platform used for all those US-market Ford Escorts of the 1990s. Starting in 1991, the Tracer name went onto badge-engineered Escorts, according to Mercury tradition, but the 1988-1989 Tracers were based on the Australian-market Ford KE Laser. Underneath all of those cars (as well as the early-1990s Capris) lived Mazda 323 running gear, of course. This one nearly made it to the 175,000-mile mark during its time on the road, which is respectable by the standards of 1980s Mazdas. With an automatic transmission transferring the 84 horses from its Mazda B6 engine to the front wheels, this car wouldn't have offered a great deal of driving excitement. 1989 Tracer buyers could choose between a two-door hatchback, a four-door hatchback, and a four-door wagon. Not many Americans hurried over to their local Mercury dealers to buy Tracers, despite the fact that the nearest Ford-badged identical twins were on the other side of the globe. Mercury still seemed relevant in the late 1980s, but its days were numbered. The actress driving the Tracer in this TV commercial seems to have the same deer-in-headlights facial expression of the hapless driver-training students in the 1968 AMC Rebel commercial.